Best of the Fest: What to Eat (and Drink!) at the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

And YOU’VE got until November 13th this year to try everything you absolutely MUST EAT at this year’s Festival. So that’s why I’m here! To show you 2017’s CAN’T MISS ITEMS so you don’t miss ANY of the BEST OF THE FEST!

It’s no secret that we have a fondness for cheese and handwiches around here. Kudos to the Craft Beer booth for surprising us with this new (old) addition — the Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich.

Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich

This one is OG Disney. The handwich (a lot like this, but not really) was the original hand-held sandwich. (What’s that? All sandwiches are hand-held, you say? What do YOU know?!?!?) And it was also a cult favorite for Disney foodies before Disney foodies were even a thing. (You know who you are.)

So anyway, Disney’s bringing back this classic for the festival as part of their throw-back eats for Epcot’s 35th Anniversary and we couldn’t be happier. It’s mac and cheese, plus ground beef, in a big ol’ bread cone. Get it.

We’re thrilled to welcome Flavors from Fire to this year’s festival. With a name like that, we couldn’t wait to taste the Smoked Corned Beef. Happy to say that we were not disappointed.

Corned Beef from Flavors from Fire

Served with warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses, this thing — as you know from our previous “what to eat at the festival” posts — is madness. It’s SO crazy good. So even if you don’t “like corned beef,” just eat it!! (And ask for extra cheese.)

Yes, we’ve seen this one before at the previous Farm Fresh booth. Thank goodness it has a new home; we would seriously miss this dish. It’s still one of our favorites at the 2017 festival. Look for the Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese now at Active Eats.

DO NOT SHARE THIS ONE. Really, if you get nothing else from this post, take that note and internalize it. Get your OWN. The Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread at Ireland is one of those dishes I want to spend some alone time with.

Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread

Super savory, I personally prefer to just eat this straight…I don’t even need any bread. Just a spoon. OK, you get it.

Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach at France

The DFB team is torn on this one — some of us love it, some of us not so much. But France might have gotten it right with this new gluten-free addition of Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach.

Warm Goat Cheese Pudding

The profile here is creamy and savory, but the “pudding” texture is where we got a little bit hung up. If you’re a big quiche fan, you’ll probably dig this one! But even though our team was torn on this, we all recognized the potential. So grab it if you’re a goat cheese, spinach, or savory pudding fan!

Tequila Chipotle Shrimp at Mexico

Mexico and tequila! It’s time to rave about the Tequila Chipotle Shrimp.

Tequila Chipotle Shrimp

This one really surprised us. Mexico has a shrimp taco…like…every year. But this was different. Our team loved this one more than normal — great flavor, unique presentation, and a winner all around.

Spicy Apple Margarita at Mexico

Wash down your shrimp with the Spicy Apple Margarita. This late addition to the Mexico booth combines the sweetness of apple with the spiciness of jalapeno. Unexpected and awesome.

Spicy Apple Margarita

Spicy Chicken Bao Bun at China

In China, we were fans of the Spicy Chicken Bao Bun. It’s just the right amount of sweet heat plus crunch to gain a spot of recognition. China’s selections have been stale for a few years, but this one is a winner!

Spicy Chicken Bao Bun

Mango Lassi at India

For a fruity beverage, we’re going to grab the Mango Lassi, a non-alcoholic beverage at the India booth.

Mango Lassi

Sweet-tart and smooth, this is a great choice from this brand new booth.

Swine Brine at Flavors from Fire

OK, I for real made someone else taste this before I would. ;-D Bourbon, apple cider, piggy wing, lemon juice, and MUSTARD?!? Yeah, so I asked a random dude to take a sip…and he’s all “it’s OK! It’s not bad!” So I went for it and…he was right! It really tastes primarily like apple cider and bourbon. No real flavor from the piggy wing at all! It’s fun, intriguing, and worth a try…if you dare.

Sleeper hit! The Bleu Spectrum: Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with Boba Pearls at Light Lab. OK, so Light Lab is a fun little attention-seeker of a booth. There’s nothing excellent food-wise going on here, but it’s still a spot you’ll want to visit.

The cuvee is a blue sparkling chardonnay with some popping pearls thrown in (because Disney and popping pearls). While it’s not ground-breaking, it’s still pretty and fun. But the real draw here is the “show.”

Charcuterie in a Cone at Spain

Charcuterie in a Cone makes an interesting presentation of imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses, Olives and an Herb Vinaigrette at the Spain Booth.

Charcuterie in a Cone

Cauliflower Risotto at The Almond Orchard

The Almond Orchard is offering Cauliflower Risotto with Pulled Chicken, Artichokes, Spinach and Parmesan Cheese and Aged Balsamic. We liked the flavors here, and kudos to Disney for doing something a little different.

Remember that the list above is simply our Best of the Fest for 2017. We’ve got pictures and pricing for every single item at the Festival, just like we do every year.

To see the full list — and pictures of EVERYTHING — be sure to click over to our Marketplace Booth page, where the provided links will take you to each booth’s individual page. That’s how you can see pictures of every single dish at this year’s Festival!

Start Your Planning NOW!

This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.

Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!

Want More Epcot Food and Wine Festival Info?

You haven’t seen the last of us here yet! Not even close… We’ll be back with MUCH more from the Festival in the coming weeks — from Seminars and Demonstrations to Special Events to Booth Reviews. In the meantime, you can check out all of the info below to prepare for YOUR visit to the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

How to Book Epcot Food & Wine Festival Events

To book all special events and demonstrations, call 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378) starting July 20 at 7:00AM ET. Culinary Demonstrations and Beverage Seminars and general admission for some special events may be bookable online at www.epcotfoodfestival.com as well as by phone.

Tables in Wonderland members, Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Golden Oak Residents are eligible for a $2 discount (per person, per event) for beverage and seminars and culinary demos taking place Mon-Thurs during the festival. Members of these groups can also book all special events early on July 18th beginning at 9:00AM ET. Discounts are by phone only at 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378). Stay tuned to DisneyFoodBlog.com and the Disney Food Blog Newsletter for details.

Because Chase is no longer a Festival Sponsor, Chase Disney Visa Cardholders have no access to early booking this year.

Alright, my friends, now it’s YOUR turn. Let me know which item YOU are most excited to try at the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

What items tops YOUR list to try at this year’s Festival? Please let us know with a comment!

I have been surprised with a one day trip to the F&W Festival this year. Although I have been to the festival several times, this is the first time I get to go to just snack around the world. These posts help so much for me to know all the must tries. My fear is, although they are all small plates, my hopes are bigger than my appetite but OH I will try. Thanks for all your help…

Thank you very much. Went today. Couple disappointments. Three Humus Fries have become two this year and NO small glass of wine at the Culinary Demo. The demo itself was outstanding, but l guess the bigwigs don’t really believe in food AND wine just make as much profit as possible. C’est la vie. Still a very enjoyable afternoon.

Went today, 9/3/17.
Epcot was wall to wall people. Reminded me of New Years Eve.
Braised Beef “Stroganoff” At Cheese Studio was disappointing. Spatzle was hard. Like little popcorn.
Belgium beef dish was on 20 minute backorder at 1230pm. Waffle was ok.
Did love the dining counters set up in Cheese Studio area. Looked nice and very functional.
Nice souvenirs.

I can’t wait to try almost everything on this least. The one I must disagree with is Bleu Spectrum; I tried it and I wanted to like it. Light lab is a very cool concept with great atmosphere. But I could barely bring myself to finish it. And before you think it was just me, my entire group tried it and couldn’t stand it. Not sure what made it so terrible, but never again.